Chap. LXXII. 
LIFE IJ^^ THE CAMP. 
85 
idea of the whole life of this desert camp, with its 
liberty, its cheerfulness, and its tediousness. 
Our camp also afforded me at times some other 
amusement : for althous^h the Tawdrek had returned 
to their usual seats, the Gwanin were still kept back 
here by their fear of the Kel-hekikan, and they oc- 
casionally got up a national play, which caused a little 
diversion. But I did not like these people nearly 
so well as the wild Tmoshagh ; for, having become de- 
graded by being subjected to the caprices of stronger 
tribes, they have almost entirely lost that independent 
spirit which is so prepossessing in the son of the desert, 
even though he be the greatest ruffian. 
One afternoon they collected round my tent and 
began boasting of what they had done for me. They 
told me that the FulMn had written to their 
Sheikh, Weled 'Abeda, accusing the Gwanin that, in 
the night when El Bakay was bringing me back to 
Timbuktu, they had been fighting against them, and, 
among other mischief, had killed a horse belonging 
to them ; and that their chief had answered, that 
his people had done well in defending me, and that 
nobody should hurt me after I had once succeeded in 
placing myself under the Sheikh's protection. And 
this, be it remembered, was the self-same chief who 
had murdered Major Laing ; and one or the other of 
these very Gwanin, with whom 1 had dealings every 
day, were perhaps implicated in that very murder. 
I was thus led to inquire of these people whether 
there were no papers remaining of that unfortu- 
G 3 
